Museum Provenance

An indispensable classic, the City Mailbag Eyeglass/Phone Case is an adaptation of an over-the-shoulder leather mail satchel—used by city letter carriers from the 1860s to the 1980s—in the collections of our National Postal Museum. Carriers were able to tote up to 70 pounds of mail in a pair of these durable satchels, which remained the carrier’s satchel of choice long after the 1973 introduction of lighter canvas versions.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or
inspired by an object or objects in our collection.